Angle drive



June 21, 1966 A. L. MEDESHA 3,256,758

ANGLE DRIVE Filed Jan. 25, 1964 FIG. 3

INVENTOR.

ALFRED L. MEDESHA ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,256,758 ANGLE DRIVEAlfred L. Medesha, Sayre, Pa., assignor to Ingersoll-Rand Company, NewYork, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Jan. 23, 1964, Ser. No.339,807 .7 Claims. (Cl. 81-57) This invention relates to angle drivesand more particularly to angle wrenches, ratchet wrenches, offsetwrenches and the like.

Heretofore, angle drives were constructed of many parts having arelative high mass and high power losses. In addition they were veryexpensive to assemble and maintain.

It is the general object of the present invention to avoid and overcomethe foregoing and other difiiculties of and objections to prior artpractices by the provision of a simple angle drive having a small numberof parts.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a more efiicientangle drive utilizing smooth transfer of power and a reduction of massat the work output end. These objects, and those other objects of theinvention which will be apparent from the following description, areaccomplished by providing a power-operated wrench including a drivemotor and a supporting arm extending adjacent the drive motor. Thesupporting arm includes a follower aperture adjacent the drive motoranda spindle aperture remote from the drive motor. An eccentric cam isoperatively connected to the drive motor by suitable gearing or the likeand cooperates with the follower aperture to effect transversereciprocal movement of the supporting arm. A spindle is disposed withinthe spindle aperture and surrounded by rollers or the like whichcooperate with the spindle and the walls of the spindle aperture totransform the transverse reciprocal movement of the supporting arm intorotary movement of the spindle. I

For a better understanding of the present invention reference should behad to the accompanying drawings,

' wherein like numerals of reference indicate similar parts throughoutthe several views and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating an angle wrench representingone embodiment of the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view illustrating in detail a cam drivingmeans and a roller driving means shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a detailed view illustrating a roller in driving position,

Although the principles of the present invention are broadly applicableto angle driving mechanisms in general, the present invention isparticularly adapted for use in conjunction with powered wrenches andhence it has been so illustrated and will be so described.

With specific reference to the form of the present invention illustratedin the drawings, and referring par- .ticularly to FIGURE 1, an anglewrench is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. The anglewrench has a housing 12 and a drive motor 14. 'The drive motor 14 isdisposed outside of the housing 12 and can be any of the types of wellknown motors such as an electric motor or an air motor.

Disposed inside the housing 12 in an arm means, such as the supportingarm 16. The arm 16 can be made up of any number of arm elements such asthe three elements 18, 20 and 22 shown in FIGURE 1. The motor ends ofeach of the elements 18, 20 and 22 are provided with U-shaped recesses24, 26 and 28 in FIG. 1. In order to drive the arm 16 a cam and cam gearassembly 30 is provided.

' The cam and cam gear assembly 30 is disposed in the housing 12 and hasa cam gear 32 which protrudes outside of the motor end of the housing12. Extending from the center of the cam gear 32 is a cam 34 having aseries of cam elements 36, 38 and 40 (FIGS. 1 and 2) one cam element foreach of the arm elements 18, 20 and 22. Each one of the cam elements 36,38 and 40 rests in the recesses 24, 26 and 28 of the arm elements 18, 20and 22. That is, the cam element 36 rests on the recess 24, the camelement 38 rests on the recess 26 and the cam element 40 rests on therecess 28. Each of the cam elements 36, 38 and 40 are positioned toextend eccentrically of the center of the cam 34 as shown in FIGURE 2.

It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that as the cam gear32 rotates, the cam elements 36, 38 and 40 will operate to transverselyoscillate the arm elements 18, 20 and 22. A drive gear 42 (FIG. 1)driven by the drive motor 14 and meshing with the cam gear 32 operatesto rotate the cam gear 32.

The front end of each of the arm elements 18, 20 and 22 is provided withan aperture 48 which. apertures 48 are constructed and arranged toreceive a cylindrical spindle 50 and surrounding driving rollers 52. Thedriving rollers 52 and the spindle 50 are free to rotate relative to oneanother.

The portion 54 of the aperture 48 that contains the driving rollers 52,as shown in FIGURE 3, is constructed and arranged so that the distancebetween the upper wall 56 and the outer circumference 58 of the spindle50, at its forward end 60, is larger than the diameter of the drivingrollers 52, and at its back end 62, smaller than the driving rollers 52.It will thus be seen that as the arm elements 1 8, 20 and 22 oscillateup and down pivoting around the spindle 50 and the driving rollers 52,when the arm elements 18, 20 and 22 move downward the driving rollers 52will be wedged in the back end 62 of the recess 54 locking the armelements and the spindle 50 to cause the arm elements to rotate thespindle 50 in a clockwise direction.

Conversely as an arm element moves upward and pivots counter-clockwisearound the driving rollers 52 and the spindle 50, the forward end 60 ofthe aperture portion 54 will move toward the driving rollers 52 to freethe rollers 52. It will further be understood by those skilled in theart that since the cam elements 36, 38 and 40 are offset they can beconstructed and arranged to have at least one arm element in drivingrelationship with the spindle 50 so that the spindle 50 is rotated atall times. Thus the oscillatory motion of the arm elements 18, 20 and 22is converted to rotational motion to rotate the spindle 50.

It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the objects ofthe present invention have been achieved by providing a simple moreeflicient angle drive having a small number of parts utilizing smoothtransfer of power and a reduction of mass at the work output end.

While in accordance with the patent statutes a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention has been illustrated and described in detail it isto be particularly understood that the invention is notlimited theretoor thereby.

I claim:

1. A power-operated wrench comprising:

a drive motor;

a supporting arm extending adjacent said drive motor and having a motorend adjacent said drive motor and a spindle end remote from said drivemotor;

said motor end including a follower aperture and said spindle endincluding a spindle aperture;

wherein an eccentric cam is carried by said cam shaft within saidfollower aperture for transforming the rotary movement of said gear intorotary movement of said spindle.

a cam shaft operatively connected to said gear for a gear operativelyconnected to said drive motor to be rotated by said drive motor;

' a cam shaft operatively connected to said gear for rotation therewithand extending into said follower aperture for transforming rotation ofsaid gear 5 into transverse reciprocal movement of said supporting arm;

a spindle disposed within said spindle aperture; and

a plurality of driving rollers disposed in said spindle apertureintermediate said spindle and the walls of said spindle aperture fortransforming the transverse reciprocal movement of said supporting arminto rotary movement of said spindle.

2. A power-operated wrench according to claim 1,

3. A power-operated wrench comprising:

a drive motor;

a plurality of supporting arms extending adjacent said drive motor, eachof said supporting arms having a motor end adjacent said drive motorincluding a follower aperture and a spindle end remote from said drivemotor including'a spindl aperture;

a gear operatively connected to said drive motor to be rotated thereby;

rotation therewith and extending into said follower apertures;

an eccentric cam means carried by said cam shaft within said followerapertures for transforming rotation of said cam shaft into transversreciprocal movement of said supporting arms;

a spindle disposed within said spindle apertures; and

means disposed within said spindle aperture intermediate said spindleand the walls of said spindle apertures for transforming the transversereciprocal movement of said supporting arms into rotary movement of saidspindle.

4. A power-operated wrench comprising:

a drive motor;

a plurality of supporting arms extending adjacent said drive motor, eachof said supporting arms having a motor end adjacent said drive motorincluding a follower aperture and a spindle end remote from said drivemotor including a spindle aperture;

a gear operatively connected to said drive motor to be rotated thereby;

a cam shaft operatively connected to said gear for rotation therewithand extending into said follower apertures;

a plurality of eccentric cams carried by said cam shaft for rotationtherewith, each of said eccentric cams being disposed in the followeraperture of one of said supporting arms for transforming the rotation ofsaid gear into transverse reciprocal movement of said supporting arm;

a spindle disposed within said spindle aperture; and

means disposed Within said spindl apertures intermediate said spindleand the walls of said spindle apertures for transforming the transversereciprocal movement of said supporting arms into rotary movement of saidspindle.

5. A power-operated wrench according to claim 4, wherein said meansdisposed within said spindle apertures for transforming :tranversemovement of said supporting arms into rotary movement of said spindlecomprises a plurality of driving rollers disposed intermediate saidspindle and the walls of said spindle apertures.

6. A power-operated wrench according to claim 5, wherein said supportingarms extend longitudinally parallel from said drive motor, and saidmotor apertures and said spindle aper-tures, respectively, are inaligned relationship.

7. A power-operated wrench according to claim 5,

wherein said eccentric cams are offset from each other such that onethereof rotates said spindle throughout the transverse reciprocalmovement of said supporting arms.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 970,209 9/1910Fresko 8154 1,306,821 6/1919 Kohlhass 74-54 1,644,079 10/1927 ONeill81-591 2,119,968 6/1938 Shaff 81-54 2,534,093 12/1950 Willard 74 125.52,689,730 9/1954 Te'b'bs 74-54 2,723,580 11/1955 Brame 8157 2,784,8083/1957 Thomas 74 54 x FOREIGN PATENTS 231,554 8/1924 Great Britain.351,551 2/1961 Switzerland.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner. JAMES L. JONES, JR., Examiner.

1. A POWER-OPERATED WRENCH COMPRISING: A DRIVE MOTOR; A SUPPORTING ARM EXTENDING ADJACENT SAID DRIVE MOTOR AND HAVING A MOTOR END ADJACENT SAID DRIVE MOTOR AND A SPINDLE END REMOTE FROM SAID DRIVE MOTOR; SAID MOTOR END INCLUDING A FOLLOWER APERTURE AND SAID SPINDLE END INCLUDING A SPINDLE APERTURE; A GEAR OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID DRIVE MOTOR TO BE ROTATED BY SAID DRIVE MOTOR; A CAM SHAFT OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID GEAR FOR ROTATION THEREWITH AND EXTENDING INTO SAID FOLLOWER APERTURE FOR TRANSFORMING ROTATION OF SAID GEAR INTO TRANSVERSE RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT OF SAID SUPPORTING ARM; A SPINDLE DISPOSED WITHIN SAID SPINDLE APERTURE; AND A PLURALITY OF DRIVING ROLLERS DISPOSED IN SAID SPINDLE APERTURE INTERMEDIATE SAID SPINDLE AND THE WALLS OF SAID SPINDLE APERTURE FOR TRANSFORMING THE TRANSVERSE RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT OF SAID SUPPORTING ARM INTO ROTARY MOVEMENT OF SAID SPINDLE. 